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History

Some eight-thousand years before the time of the Marvel Family, the wizard Shazam chosen the Egyptian prince named Teth-Adam as his successor, transforming him into his champion Mighty Adam. Unlike Billy Batson however, the power corrupted Teth-Adam and he turned to evil. Deciding that he should rule the world, Mighty Adam overthrows and kills the pharaoh and assumes the throne. An angry Shazam gives his errant champion a new name — "Black Adam" — and, unable to take his powers away, banishes him to the most distant star in the universe.

Black Adam spent the next 5,000 years flying back to Earth. By the time he makes it back, in 1945, Shazam has appointed three new champions to take his place: Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel Jr. Adam's antics to take over the world cause the Marvels to seek counsel with Shazam, who tells them about Black Adam. Adam succeeds in gagging Billy and Freddy while they are talking to Shazam. He then ties them up, planning to kill them later. But Uncle Marvel releases them while Mary battles Black Adam, enabling them to transform. Adam does battle with the trio, but since all are equally invulnerable, the fight goes on and on without resolution. However, the non-powered Marvel Family member Uncle Marvel gets an idea from Shazam and tricks him into saying "Shazam," by repeating the word wrongly, reverting him back to Teth-Adam. 5,000 years of aging catch up with him in an instant when Captain Marvel knocks him out seconds after he transforms, and he dies, becoming a skeleton.

Adam was resurrected nearly thirty years later in Philadelphia by Doctor Sivana's reincarnation machine. He then destroys the machine so he cannot be sent back.[1] Black Adam accidentally time-travels to 1776 during the American Revolution while going to the Rock of Eternity to destroy Shazam at Sivana's suggestion, he actually felt Adam's powers would be wiped out as well, but Marvel accidentally threw him back in time. He and Marvel battle and Adam realizes he will have to use a trick. He makes his lightning strike Marvel, turning him back to Billy Batson, then seizes him and covers his mouth before he can finish saying his magic word. He then flies to a nearby ship and gets some rope to bind and gag Billy, after which he throws him into the sea. But Billy swims up, is saved by colonial rebel Paul Revere. Black Adam was once again tricked by Uncle Marvel into saying Shazam when he goes to him to get revenge, and gets amnesia from a punch by Captain Marvel.

After that, Black Adam was also involved with Karmang and tries to destroy both Superman and Captain Marvel.[2] After several more defeats at Captain Marvel's hands, Adam joined Mister Mind'sMonster Society of Evil which stages an assault on the Rock of Eternity. The evil god of magic Oggar summons an evil army from the sands and dust of Egypt for Adam to lead after muting Billy with his magic. Ultimately the Monster Society of Evil were defeated, and Black Adam escaped.[3]

Transformation: The ability to transform from a mortal to the entity empowered by the six.

Healing: The ability to use the transformative lightning to heal others or ones self instantly.

In addition, Black Adam could merge his own lightning bolt with all other lightnings on Earth, forming an electrical barrier around the planet; this prevents any mystical attempts to track him and will kill any members of the Marvel Family that crosses the barrier.[6]

Weaknesses

Because Black Adam has lived for so many centuries in his superhuman form, he cannot risk turning back to a mortal being or else he will instantly revert to his correct chronological age. At the end of his first battle against the Marvel Family, Uncle Marvel tricked Black Adam into speaking the magic word "Shazam", and the magic lightning bolt turned him into a withered, ancient skeleton. Doctor Sivana resurrected him, however, and he came back to plague the Marvels. After his resurrection, he could safely speak the magic word without dying, as it would simply return him to mortal form without the aging effect.